Kenji Otonari (had surgery to treat the ossification of the yellow ligament) tossed sixty-one pitches to Ikusei players Daiki Nakahara and Ryosuke Shibata during batting practice at the Saitozaki facilities today. He also tossed batting practice on the 5th.

Akihisa Makida played in a Phoenix League game against the LG Twins on Monday and collected two hits and two RBI. This was his first game since he hurt his left side while swinging the bat during a game against Seibu on August 16.

Yuki Nishi tweaked his right ankle when attempting to cover first base in the second inning of tonight's game against the Rakuten Eagles. He tried to pitch in the 3rd, but was pulled before he could throw any practice pitches. He is considered day-to-day.

The Fighters announced on Thursday that Sho Nakata was re-examined at a hospital in Sapporo and diagnosed with a fissure fracture in the fifth metacarpal of his left hand. He will require about four weeks for a full recovery -- he will have to keep it immobile for three weeks and will rest at home until the swelling goes away.

Daiki Enokida started a Ni-gun game against Softbank today. He tossed a shutout inning while allowing one hit before he was pulled with some discomfort in his left elbow. The Tigers were planning to give him an Ichi-gun start against the Yomiuri Giants on July 3, but may now have to consider other alternatives.

Nikkan Sports notes that the discomfort may not have been too serious and that the decision to pull him from the game may have been based on a number of issues, like poor field conditions due to rain and wanting to play it safe since he had surgery on his left elbow last September.

Koji Yamasaki took a hit to his left ankle when Andruw Jones tried to break-up a double play by sliding hard into second base in the 1st inning of tonight's game against Rakuten. Yamasaki stayed in the game immediately after the play, but pulled himself out shortly thereafter. He was taken to a hospital in Saitama for an examination. His tests came back negative for any injuries.

Akihisa Makida (coming back from a left wrist injury) is now able to swing the bat at full strength. He will play in a few more games (perhaps four) before the team considers calling him back to the active roster. That could place his return sometime in early July.

Seth Greisinger had to get treatment for a balking back in the middle of the 2nd inning of tonight's game against Orix. He returned and was able to pitch long enough to record a win. He later told reporters that he hoped to have his back ready in time for his next start.

Akihisa Makida (Rakuten) was taken off the active roster today with a rupture in a tendon in his left wrist (左橈側手根伸筋腱部分/left radial carpal extensor tendon). He will require three to four weeks for a full recovery. He does not plan on having surgery at this point in time.

Makida suffered the injury when swinging the bat during a game against Lotte on the 21st. He was examined at a hospital on Tuesday.

The Buffaloes took Tatsuya Sato off the active roster today with pain in his lower back. He started feeling pain in his back during an outing against Softbank on the 20th and was later examined at a hospital in Kobe. No serious issues were discovered. He is not expected to miss an extended amount of time.

Kenta Maeda (Hiroshima) started playing catch today. Maeda spoke to reporters and said that the tightness he was feeling in his right arm was mostly gone and that he should be able to return to the active roster within ten days.

Batting coach Hiromoto Okubo likes having a left-handed batter in the two whole in the line-up because he can help mask the runner at first. And if the number two batter can also hit, even better.

"It is better to have a left-handed number two hitter. If the lead-off man gets on base, he can block the catcher's view to first, giving the runner a better chance to steal a base. If the number two batter can also hit for average, he will make the catcher's job that much more difficult. The chances to score a run go up," said Okubo.

Teppei batted second during Wednesday's game and could end up being the Eagles' number two hitter this year.

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Through Wednesday, Yusuke Kosai is 3-for-8 with a homer and three RBI over three intra-squad games.

The Eagles announced that Kensuke Uchimura (25) filed marriage papers with a 23-year-old woman named Chisato today. The two started dating in the fall of 2009 and started living together in Sendai last spring.

Batting coach Hiromoto Okubo gave Akihisa Makidatwo bats to practice with this winter. Both are heavier than the bat he used last year (up 60 grams to 960 grams) and come in two lengths, 33.5 inches and 34 inches. Makida ultimately hopes to settle on a bat that is around 930 grams for the 2012 season.